the index · sports
Page 22
June 2021
every program, but next year, they have a serious opportunity to make a legacy as a really good class.” This theme of the Sixth Form caring not only about the success in a given year but also laying a foundation for the future is constant across every sport. Sixth Form lacrosse midfielder Geordy Holmes said, “What we tried to do was keep that brotherhood. We lost a year of it, and since you lose a year, there are a lot of young guys that don’t really know yet what it means to be a Haverford lacrosse player, and the biggest thing about being a Haverford lacrosse player is buying into the brotherhood, loving being out there, loving your teammates and loving the game . . . granted, we lost that last game, but I would like to think that we made Haverford lacrosse better just because of that brotherhood.”
“There are so many life lessons that I’ve learned—not to say that I haven’t learned in the classroom— but I just don’t think I would have learned as much without lacrosse.” GEORDY HOLMES ’21 Holmes reflected on his emotions after the Inter-Ac championship. “After that last game, you turn around and you’re just defeated. And then you see all those younger guys crying and coming up to you and hugging you and thanking you—it’s a special thing because you feel that you made it better than how you found it,” Holmes said. Overall, Holmes believes lacrosse has
COURTESY OF BRYSON BERNHARDT ’21
Bryson Bernhardt ’21 in a single boat during a race
had a tremendous impact on his life. “This year, the biggest thing for me was just being grateful for having a season and being able to just go out every day and practice and do what I love with the guys that I love,” Holmes said. “Over the past four years, I’ve just learned so much and I’ve become such a better person through Haverford lacrosse. There are so many life lessons that I’ve learned—not to say that I haven’t learned in the classroom—but I just don’t think I would have learned as much without lacrosse.” Unlike the lacrosse team, the track and field squad was relatively small this season. However, Sixth Form jumper Chris Sims explained that he viewed this as a positive. “We had our own little family,” Sims said, “and we really just stuck together. It benefited us in the end because we all got to know each other really well. With all the training that we were doing, it made it very
easy to just talk and have fun.” Still, the season did not come without its challenges. “With COVID, it was a lot more training than anything,” Sims said. “For me, I had to take every day and push myself to make sure I was getting the experience that I wanted, so when it did come time for meets, I was ready to go.” Similar to the other Sixth Form athletes, Sims affirmed that athletics has been a fundamental part of his upper school experience.
“I’m really grateful that the track program pushed me to be who I am today.” CHRIS SIMS ’21
“The last four years have been unforgettable,” Sims said. “Starting off freshman year and not knowing if I wanted to run track at all, to by the end of the season being a guy who scored at Inter-Acs—to my senior year being one of the leaders for the jumpers—it really just came full circle for me. I’m really grateful that the track program pushed me to be who I am today, and I’ll always remember that the track team is really what pushed me to make myself better.” For Fords tennis—another tightly-knit team—this spring season was special. In late May, they secured their eleventh straight Inter-Ac title, a feat that Sixth Former George Laveran credits largely to senior leadership and head coach Mr. Antonio Fink. “In the fall, we came back and Mr. Fink was able to get us back in the tennis zone,” Laveran said. “Everyone was a bit rusty, but being able to play and be with the team in the fall was very beneficial because by spring, everyone knew who was on the team and we’d already gotten back into it a little bit.” Laveran reflected on his Fords tennis journey.
“With the leadership and camaraderie, I liked this year’s tennis team the best of all the teams I’ve ever played on.” GEORGE LAVERAN ’21 “Even last year, I hadn’t really grown yet and I was pretty small, but Mr. Fink gave me some opportunities to play on varsity as a junior before Covid struck. I used to play a lot of tennis when I was younger, and the program at Haverford got me back into it,” Laveran said. “And honestly, with the leadership and camaraderie, I liked this year’s tennis team the best of all the teams I’ve ever played on.” Mr. Murphy had high praise for the class of 2021.
“They’ve had an incredible attitude to go out and capitalize on the chances they had to compete...” MR. MICHAEL MURPHY
Eric Genther ’21 in a game for the Diamond Fords
DR. MIKE NANCE
“Leadership starts at the top with them,” Mr. Murphy said. “The way that they’ve handled everything, with the grace that they did and the resiliency to say, ‘we’re going to make the best out of this,’ that carried all the way through the school. They’ve had an incredible attitude to go out and capitalize on the chances they had to compete, so I’m really impressed with that group.”
